What type of questions are typically used in interviews during qualitative research?

Open-ended questions are typically used in interviews during qualitative research because they allow participants to express their thoughts, feelings, and perspectives in their own words. This format encourages more elaborate responses and provides deeper insights into participants' experiences and opinions. Open-ended questions can reveal nuances and complexities that might be missed with more structured question types, which often limit responses to predefined options or short answers.

In qualitative research, understanding the context and meaning behind participants' answers is critical, and open-ended questions facilitate this exploration. They support a conversational style where interviewers can probe further into interesting topics that arise, fostering a more dynamic and informative exchange. This is particularly valuable in qualitative research, where the goal is often to gather rich, detailed data rather than to quantify responses.